The present invention is directed to a device or machine for winding a web of paper or the like onto a roll core. The machine includes a frame having a plurality of work stations, a turret mounted for rotation on an axis in the frame and having a plurality of winding shafts for receiving tubular cores being mounted for rotation in the turret with the shafts being spaced around a circle concentric with the axis, an arrangement for rotating the turret in a step-like manner to move the shafts in a circular path from station-to-station with one of the work stations being a winding station where the web is wound on the core and then cut. At the winding station, the machine includes means for aiding the feeding of the web to the core which includes a contact roller over which the web passes as it is wound onto the core, and an arrangement for moving the contact roller approximately along the circle to press the web against the core as it is being wound thereon and for moving the contact roller radially to the circle and the turret to clear the path of the next shaft being moved into the winding station. When the winding of web on a core is about complete, the contact roller is moved radially to a retracted position as the turret is stepped to present an empty core to the winding station. At the same time, blade means are moved to cut the web with the newly cut web being entrained by the contact roller on the new core to begin the next winding operation.
Machines for winding webs on the rolls are known and an example is disclosed in German OS No. 22 63 264. Such machines are used for the purpose of packaging webs of paper, tissue, fleece, film material and the like by longitudinally cutting the web to a standard roll width and then rewinding them to a standard roll diameter. Given the known embodiment, a turret comprising four winding staffs distributed over a circle which is concentric with an axis is rotated in a frame to move the winding shafts successively past individual work stations. The lowermost work station of the stations is a winding station where the web is wound on a roll and then cut. When, as a result of the rotation of the turret, a new winding shaft with a fresh winding sleeve or core arrives at the winding station, a contact roller which is part of the feed arrangement is placed against the core on the winding shaft at a trailing side when looking at the flow of the web onto the core so that the web will go from the previous core and over the newly presented core. Then, the cutting blade of the blade means moves into the cutting position to cut a portion of the web that extends between the two cores and wrap the leading cut edge around the newly presented core so as to be entrained between the surface of the core and the web passing around the contact rollers to begin winding on the newly presented core. With this arrangement, there is no need to apply glue for starting the winding of the web onto a core. This type of web guidance during cutting and wrapping is a reason that the contact roller must press laterally against the core being formed and must be advanced up into the region of the circular path of the winding shafts when rotated by the turret.
The contact roller subsequently remains seated against the roll being formed, the latter being finished to a significant degree in the winding station. The contact of the contact roller thereby improves the winding quality. When the roll is near completion, the reel star or turret is rotated farther whereupon the nearly finished roll is moved into the next work station, namely, a finished winding and transfer station, where the winding is completed. Given this rotational advance of the turret the next winding shaft provided with a fresh winding sleeve or tubular core proceeds into the winding station.
In order for the newly presented shaft and core to pass the contact roller which is situated essentially in the circular path of the winding shaft approaching the winding station, the contact roller must be temporarily removed from the circular path. To this end, the contact roller is disposed on an inwardly extending carrier which is pivotally seated at a point beneath the winding station and the carrier can be pivoted away from the winding shaft situated at the winding station. This pivoting-out causes a motion component directly opposite to the movement created by moving the turret. The web is thereby entrained since it passes through a longitudinal cutting station disposed in a lower region of the carrier before it reaches the contact roller and then moves over the contact roller.
The motive or motion component, which is directly opposite the rotation of the turret or star reel, creates two disadvantages. The first disadvantage consists in that the free length of the product web is temporarily lengthened when the contact roller is pivoted away about the moving direction of the turret. This creates risk not only in view of the web running such as crease formation and the like but also leads to a temporary increase in the web tension which can cause the web to tear off given sensitive web material such as, for example, tissue or fleece. The second disadvantage is that when it is being pivoted away the contact roller first nears the next winding shaft that is being rotated into the winding station so that either the next shaft must remain at a greater distance from the winding station until the contact roller has been pivoted completely away or the contact roller must be prematurely pivoted away in order to avoid collision with the next winding shaft that is being rotated into the station. As a consequence, the time during which the contact roller cannot press against the roll being formed is increased and this likewise causes undesirable results.